Always Wanted In A True Family
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: When Sparkle is hurt because Feedback's parents don't accept her as their granddaughter, she thinks she's not wanted. It's up to Shocks, with some help from the others, to show her otherwise.


**Okay, the votes from my poll came in and the winner was: Snare-Oh to give Sparkle a big tickle torture. Well, read on!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Rachel and Sparkle. Ultimate Feedback (Shocks) belongs to guestsurprise, who kindly gave me permission to use him. All other Ben 10 characters belong to Cartoon Network and Man Of Action.**

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**Always Wanted In A True Family**

Sparkle was looking around for her father, hoping he'd play with her since today was his day off and she wanted to play right then. She came to her father's open door and went in, about to call for him when she heard him let out a frustrated grunt and his hand slammed down on the desk, making her jump a little.

"You're not even listening!" she heard her father say in a stressed voice. "Sparkle was just an infant when Rachel rescued her from the Knights."

"That doesn't matter. She wasn't your daughter, so you shouldn't have gotten involved," said another voice.

"Dad, Rachel had no idea how to raise a baby Conductoid, but I did and she and the others helped out," said Feedback. "Sparkle is your granddaughter."

"No, she isn't," said a female voice as Sparkle could see two other Conductoids on the computer screen her daddy was talking to. These must have been her grandparents, but she saw they didn't look happy.

"Mom, she's my daughter, therefore she is your granddaughter. I've told her a lot about you two and she's been wanting to meet you. Can't you just accept her, please?"

"We can't accept an orphan who is not related to us," said his father.

Feedback slammed his hands down harder on the desk this time and Sparkle jumped again. "SHE'S NOT AN ORPHAN!" he yelled at the top of his voice. "I can't believe you two! Why can't you accept the fact that Sparkle is my daughter?"

"Because she isn't your daughter by blood," said his mother. "Therefore, she is not our granddaughter. Any child that is yours by blood will be our grandchild, but she will not be."

Sparkle couldn't believe it. These were her grandparents her daddy had spoken of? They didn't sound very nice to her and their words hurt. They didn't want her.

"Son, we need to talk," said his father.

"I think you've said enough," said Feedback angrily.

"We're at Plumber HQ," said his mother. "So you'd better come."

That really made the Conductoid angry. "It's my day off, but since you insist, I'll be there," he said, anger present in his voice as he hung up and let out a sigh of exhaustion, going over and grabbing his bag and putting his badge in it.

Sparkle quietly headed out and ran down the hall with tears running down her small face. She quickly went into the library and hid behind some books in the bookshelf, pushing the books from the back to the front so that they would hide her as she pulled herself into a ball and cried quietly.

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Meanwhile, Rachel had come up to see Feedback getting ready to head out, but he was looking for Sparkle. "Feedback, everything okay?" she asked.

"No, it's not," he said. "My parents won't accept the fact that Sparkle is their granddaughter and now they're at HQ wanting me to come even though it's my day off and I'm looking for Sparkle but can't find her. I think she might have heard what my parents said."

Rachel's face held sympathy. "Well, if that's the case then she probably ran off to hide for a bit," she said.

The Conductoid nodded. "If you find her, will you watch her until I get back?" he asked.

The girl nodded. "Of course I will," she said. "Try not to worry too much. Just focus on your parents."

"Yeah," he said and headed out.

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"Sparkle!" Rachel called out, searching for her niece. It had already been close to an hour and she hadn't found the small Conductoid and was getting worried. Where on Earth was she? The owner of the Grant Mansion decided to keep looking, calling out her niece's name every few minutes.

Sparkle hadn't heard her aunt calling her because she had dozed off while still curled up behind the books, tears still falling down her face as she kept hearing the hurtful words her grandparents had spoken in her head.

Ultimate Feedback, better known as Shocks, came in from outside, stretching a bit. He had been out for a bit of a run in the huge meadow behind the Mansion and it had felt great. Now, he entered the mansion's library and was about to look for a book when he happened to see something sticking out from behind some books on one of the lower shelves of one of the many bookcases and he stepped closer, recognizing it to be the tip of a tail, a Conductoid's tail to be exact. Now very curious, he kneeled down and gently removed some of the books and his eye widened in shock when he saw the small, female Conductoid curled up in a ball with her head turned away and he heard a sniffle, giving him a hint that she had been crying. He set the books aside and carefully reached for her, gently picking her up and bringing her closer to him.

Sparkle felt the gentle hands pick her up and she lifted her head a little and looked at the large hands that held her and they looked familiar. "Daddy?" she asked, her voice small as she was still upset, but a little hopeful too.

"Are you hiding from him, little one?"

Sparkle froze at the voice, immediately knowing it wasn't her daddy that found her and she looked up at him and immediately was afraid because she didn't recognize him. Squirming hard to get him to let her go, she screamed loudly.

Shocks winced and set the little alien down before she fell and watched her take off quickly. "Hey! Wait up!" he said, going after her.

Sparkle ran faster, her fear making her run so fast that she stumbled and tumbled down the stairs, landing at the bottom with a harsh thud.

"Sparkle!" came her aunt's voice as she was picked up by her aunt Rachel. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

The small Conductoid whimpered a little as the fall had hurt and her knee was skinned a little. Rachel held her niece and rocked her to calm her down, which she did after a moment and then she carried the small alien upstairs to the bathroom to bandage up her slightly-injured knee.

A few minutes later, Rachel had finished and was putting away the first aid kit when Sparkle suddenly yelped and curled into a tight ball again, her yelp making Rachel jump a bit.

"Sorry," came a voice and the owner to the Grant Mansion turned to see it was Shocks standing there. "Is she okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Just a minor scrape," she said. "Although I'm wondering how she tumbled down the stairs."

"I'm afraid that's my fault," said Shocks. "I found her in the library crying, but when I tried to comfort her, she ran away from me like I had scared her, which I guess I did."

The owner of the Grant Mansion nodded understandingly. "Sorry. Sparkle is very shy around new people and aliens. It takes a bit to warm up to them," she said. "Plus, did Feedback tell you what happened?"

The older male Conductoid shook his head. "No, he didn't," he said and then his eye widened. "Oh, Mom and Dad must have called him and pretty much…how do you say it?"

"Blew a fuse?" Rachel supplied helpfully. "That's actually putting it very mildly, but yes. They're not happy that Feedback adopted Sparkle."

Shocks looked at the young Conductoid sitting on the counter. "This is Sparkle? The one my brother keeps bragging about?" he asked with a gentle smile.

Rachel chuckled. "Yes, this is her," she said, picking up her niece. "Sparkle, it's okay, sweetie. This is your uncle Shocks, your daddy's big brother."

Sparkle looked uncertainly at Shocks, but then turned her face back into her aunt's neck, clinging to her. The owner of the Grant Mansion motioned him to follow her and they went down to the living room where they sat down and Rachel set the small Conductoid in her lap.

It was very quiet for a moment as Shocks sat next to the owner of the Grant Mansion and watched Sparkle looking at him, but looking afraid. He wondered how to get her to not be afraid of him, especially after what his parents had done, making Sparkle feel unwanted. He then noticed some colorful bits of rubber on the coffee table that looked leftover from an art project. "May I use these?" he asked Rachel, who nodded, curious as to what he was going to do.

Shocks gathered the pieces together and used his lightning to warm them and make them pliable like clay, rolling the pieces around in his hands, making them merge together into a ball. He saw Sparkle watching curiously and smiled as he began to carefully form the rubber into the shape of a star. Just as he finished, he got up and went into the kitchen, dousing the rubber in cold water to cool it off. When he was done, it looked like a rainbow star, something that was common from back home. It happened once every month when the stars who change from white to multi-colored, making the night sky glow.

Smiling, he took it back to the living room and sat down, smiling at Sparkle and giving her the star. Sparkle carefully took it from him, her small face lighting up with curiosity and wonder. "It's a rainbow star," he said. "They're common back where your daddy and I are from."

"Wow," said Sparkle, looking at it and then handing it back to him, but he gently shook his head.

"It's yours, kiddo," he said with a smile.

"Really?" she asked, her face lighting up.

"Really," he said, nodding.

Sparkle suddenly looked unsure. "But, why?" she asked.

Shocks smiled again. "Come here, kiddo," he said, holding his arms open for her. The small Conductoid was unsure, but then felt her aunt gently nudge her towards Shocks and so crawled over to him, letting him hold her.

"Sparkle, I know you're hurt by what your grandparents said," he said. "But, they're wrong and it's a shame they didn't want to meet you, because they're missing out on you."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

He chuckled. "They're missing out to get to know you," he said.

"But you do?" Sparkle asked.

"Of course I do, kiddo, because you're my niece," he said with a smile. "I can see my brother wasn't kidding when he told me you were adorable, but I think he forgot to mention cute as well."

Sparkle giggled, thinking her uncle was funny, which made Rachel smile, seeing her niece warming up to Shocks and she wasn't surprised when the smaller Conductoid hugged her uncle happily. He was a bit surprised, but then hugged her back, happy that she wasn't scared of him, but then he heard her sigh and she got up, walking away, but didn't get far when familiar tendrils picked her up.

"Is that a frown I hear?" asked Snare-Oh, coming in.

"Hey, Snare-Oh," said Rachel. "I think Sparkle needs some cheering up."

"I agree," said Shocks, smiling.

Sparkle didn't have time to think as she suddenly felt the mummy alien start tickling her with his fingers and tendrils, going for her stomach, knees, and her feet.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sparkle laughed, trying to get away from her uncle, who chuckled at her.

"Cootchie cootchie coo!" he teased her, tickling her underarms and neck.

Sparkle managed to jump out of her uncle's arms and raced to Rachel, jumping over her lap and quickly burrowing into Rachel's left side. The owner of the Grant Mansion started laughing as the small Conductoid kept burrowing, trying to hide behind her.

"AHAHAHAHA! Sparkle, sweetie! You're tickling!" Rachel laughed out, trying to get away and trying not to squash Sparkle against the back of the couch in the process. Finally, she jumped up, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Aunty, protect me!" said the small Conductoid, jumping up and landing on Rachel's back, scrambling up to her shoulders.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SPARKLE! HAHAHA! SOMEONE HELP! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Rachel cried out, laughing so hard she fell to her knees and to her left side, making Sparkle jump up to balance on her aunt's right shoulder as Rachel's laughter died down.

"You okay, Rachel?" asked Shocks.

The young woman nodded. "Yes, she was just tickling me in her haste to hide from Snare-Oh," she said as the male Conductoid lifted Sparkle up and used his dreadlocks to tickle her sides, making her giggle cutely before he handed her back to Snare-Oh, who resumed tickling her.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sparkle couldn't stop laughing, especially when the mummy alien blew raspberries into her stomach. Finally, he let her up and she hugged him as he rocked her in his arms.

"Remember Sparkle, in a true family, anyone is wanted," he said.

"Really?" she asked.

"It's true," said Rachel. "Family doesn't have to be blood related. It can be simply best friends who consider each other to be siblings or a group of people not afraid to extend the boundaries of their family to someone who's never had a family before. And that's what family so special."

"She's right," said Shocks, smiling at Sparkle. "We may not be related by blood, but just the same, I'm happy to have people I can call my brothers and sisters and you to call my niece."

With a huge smile, Sparkle leapt into his arms, hugging him as he hugged her back. Then the door opened and Feedback came in, looking very tired. Sparkle turned to him with another smile.

"Daddy!" she said joyfully, running to him and even though he was tired, Feedback caught her in his arms and lifted her up in the air, spinning her a little bit before bringing her into a hug, which she snuggled into.

"There's my baby girl," he said, smiling.

Rachel placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze and he nodded gratefully, knowing she was silently telling him he wasn't alone. Then another knock sounded at the door and Shocks answered it. "Ben Tennyson," he said in surprise and then saw the other two behind him. "Magister Tennyson and Miss Verdona."

"May we come in?" asked Max Tennyson.

They went to the living room and the Magister cleared his throat. "Feedback, we heard what happened," he said. "And I want to apologize. I didn't think that would turn out badly."

"It's okay. I guess it's my fault, really. I should have told them not to come," said Feedback.

Rachel felt something in her snap, because this situation reminded her too much of her and Sasha's birth father and how he was. She stood up. "It's no one's fault except theirs," she said firmly, surprising everyone. "Feedback, Shocks, your parents chose to be that way and they are responsible for their actions, not you. If they don't want to be Sparkle's grandparents, then like Shocks said earlier, it's their loss, not ours."

Verdona nodded. "She's right," she said. "And Max and I have a proposal for you, Feedback, if you're alright with it."

He looked up. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Ben stood up. "Feedback, would you be okay with my grandparents also becoming Sparkle's grandparents?" he asked him. "I'm totally cool with it."

The alien looked at Ben. "But, why?" he asked.

Ben smiled. "Because families stick together and you guys are part of the family," he said.

Rachel smiled. "Ben's right," she said. "Looks like some of his grandfather's teachings did break through that rather thick skull."

Everyone laughed as Ben playfully glared at Rachel, but then joined in on the laughs too.

Sparkle ran over to her new grandparents happily, jumping into Max's lap and hugging him. "Love you, Grandpa," she said and then jumped into Verdona's lap and hugging her. "Love you, Grandma."

"We love you too, Sparkle," said Verdona with a smile.

Rachel gazed at all of them, feeling pride swell within her. This family was the best because it was true to each other. Everyone was like a brother and sister to each other and with all the couples at the Mansion, the family was growing more and more.

_This is the best family ever,_ she thought to herself, thinking about everyone in it, alien and humans alike.

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**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


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